MOVIE REVIEW: BACKROOMS

 

Backrooms is an upcoming American science fiction horror film directed by Kane Parsons in his feature-length directorial debut and written by Will Soodik. It is based on Parsons' web series and inspired by the "Backrooms" creepypasta.

Director: Kane Parsons

Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, Lukita Maxwell

Release Date: May 29, 2026

Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Rated R for language and some violent content/bloody images.

Runtime: 1h 45m

Review:

Kane Parsons brings his YouTube series to the big screen in a mesmerizing debut that’s an unsettling, off-kilter decent into a manila colored labyrinthine propelled by stellar visuals and a standout performance from Chiwetel Ejiofor.  Parsons film boast an early 90’s aesthetic that leans heavily into the more mundane but there’s always a sense that something is off about what you are seeing.  Cinematographer, Jeremy Cox, deserves a hefty amount of credit as he and Parsons frame shots with a meticulous attention to detail both in the real-world environments and the multitude of “backrooms” the film takes us through.  It all gives the proceedings a distinctive look that’s striking and instantly memorable especially when the film changes to a first-person VHS perspective emulating the original “creepy pasta” shorts.  The switch to first person delivers some of the film’s most hair-raising moments as we are exposed to a steady barrage of the increasingly bizarre rooms and creatures that inhabit them.  There’s an arthouse approach to the whole thing that maybe off putting to some since answers are few and far between by design leaving large portions of the story up to interpretation.  The story seems to pull inspiration from a variety of sources most notably Spike Jonze’s Being John Malkovich, David Lynch’s more idiosyncratic film along with a healthy serving of Mark Z. Danielewski’s 2000 book, House of Leaves, which also dealt with a massive nonsensical, dark labyrinth.  This is definitely a film that leans heavily on strength of its atmospheric energy to make up for its lean storytelling approach.  Chiwetel Ejiofor makes the most of his screentime delivering an impressive turn as the damaged furniture store owner who discovers a portal to the “backrooms.”  Ejiofor mines the script for every morsal of emotional depth for his character as we follow his decent into the rooms and his own damaged psyche.  There are a few moments of levity when his employees, played by Finn Bennett and Lukita Maxwell, join his exploration with distavorous results.  Renate Reinsve plays Clark's therapist, who carries her own trauma but doesn’t get nearly as much to work with even as she takes the lead in the final act of the film.  Reinsve does the best she can with her screentime which is mostly made up of looking into the camera is confused wonderment however she does have two impressive interchanges with Ejiofor that leaves you wishing the script had explored their relationship in more depth over the course of the film.  Story issues aside, its hard to deny the level of artistry and talent on display in Backrooms which bodes well for Kane Parsons’ future in film. 

A-

MOVIE REVIEW: WARFARE

 

A surveillance mission goes wrong for a platoon of American Navy SEALs in insurgent territory in Iraq.

Director: Ray Mendoza; Alex Garland

Cast: D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Joseph Quinn, Kit Connor, Finn Bennett, Taylor John Smith, Michael Gandolfini, Adain Bradley, Noah Centineo, Evan Holtzman, Henry Zaga, Charles Melton

Release Date: April 11, 2025

Genre: Action, Drama, War

Rated R for intense war violence and bloody/grisly images, and language throughout.

Runtime: 1h 35m

Review:

Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland's Warfare is an intense, nerve-racking retelling of an engagement gone wrong which puts the audience on ground with the platoon.  The film plays out in real time with the script based on testimonial from those involved back on November 19, 2006, in Ramadi, Iraq.  As a result, the plot is about as barebones as they come with the mission and subsequent rescue being the main propulsive force for the narrative.  We are given only the slightest tidbits of information on the respective members of the platoon as we watch them fight for their lives when things go off the rails.  This isn't the type of film that gives you the traditional tropes found in most war films so those looking for deep character exploration might be left wanting to know more about each person.  Mendoza and Garland are much more focused on bringing the chaos and its effect on these mostly 20 something soldiers as they struggle to survive and cope with deeply disturbing situations.  The ensemble cast is made up of a bevy of familiar faces with each delivering excellent work by delivering realistically raw reactions to the traumatic events on display.  There are still displays of heroism, but the film avoids overt jingoism with both sides presented as apolitically as possible.  The action sequences are technically impressive across the board, some of which give you the disorienting sense of shell shock the characters feel. There's an intentionality to everything Mendoza and Garland throw onscreen in Warfare with their aim being to give the audience a small sense of what these people went through for that hour and half and hopefully release some of the pent-up trauma along the way.   

A-